by Sean Michael
Ryan chuckled softly. “Flatterer.”
“It’s the truth! You smell good. So much better than here.”
Ryan’s chuckles grew into full-blown laughter. “God, I do hope so.”
Alex had to laugh too. “Okay, so maybe that was less of a compliment than I’d intended.”
“Maybe, but I’ll take it. Do… do you know when you’ll be home?”
“We’ve got funding secured for another week, but we’re looking to extend that. The two weeks is barely going to be a drop in the bucket for what needs doing. Now that we’ve got the satellite Wi-Fi set up, I should be able to call more often.”
“Good deal. I’m home a lot, so feel free.”
“What time do you put the kids to bed? I want to avoid interrupting you at a busy time.”
“Eight to nine is bad. I’m doing baths and bedtimes.”
“Okay, I’ll try to remember that and not call then.” He wanted to ask when would be the best time for Ryan to use video and FaceTime rather than just talk. He wanted to see Ryan’s face, know that they were still connecting.
“Did you wind up catching that flu from the girls?”
“I did. Mom came and stayed for a while, helped me out. I ended up going to the doctor for antibiotics. No big.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be there to help.” He would have liked to have been able to play nursemaid for Ryan.
“My mom was a trouper. Seriously.”
“I’m glad you have her to help you out. So what are you going to be doing tonight? Something fun?”
“I’m going downtown to have steak, and then I’m going dancing.”
“Oh nice.” Alex chuckled. “I could join you for the steak.” It sounded delicious.
Ryan snorted. “Yeah, I’ve never been dancing in my whole life, and it’s spaghetti night, but you get it.”
“Never once? I’m going to have to take you when I get home.”
“I wouldn’t know how. Mel, can you help Rosie with her milk, please?”
“I don’t mean formal dancing—I mean going to a club and moving your body to the music. There’s nothing to know—you just do it.”
“Yeah? I bet you’ve seen some great things.”
“Because I know how to dance?”
“What? No. No, just… great things where there’s dancing.”
“Ah, sorry.ˮ He chuckled. “I wish I could see your face.” It would make this easier—facial cues and all that.
“Me too. Maybe if I have warning I can Skype or something.”
“How about we try for nine o’clock tomorrow, then?” He couldn’t be sure he’d be free before that. There was always the possibility he’d have to text that he couldn’t make it, but he was done by then most nights.
“Nine thirty? That’ll let me make sure everyone’s mostly settled.”
“Absolutely. Nine thirty it is. I’m already looking forward to it.” He’d be dead on his feet at that point, but he really wanted to connect with Ryan, so he’d manage. He’d never had anyone to call before, had always been free and clear when he was working. It wasn’t like he and Ryan had been dating for very long, but he really liked the guy. Besides, helping look after Ryan’s kids, then being looked after by Ryan himself while he’d suffered through the first bad couple of days, had brought them closer together than the time they’d known each other would suggest. “I will send a text if I can’t make it, but I’m really hoping I can.”
“I hope so too. You sound tired. You ought to rest.”
“I have to meet with the volunteers, but I’ll be in bed soon. It was so good to talk to you.”
“Yeah, same here. Take care of yourself, man.”
“You too. And say hello to all those sweet girls of yours. Bye.” He waited a moment, and when there wasn’t a reply, he went ahead and touched the icon on the screen to end the call. He sighed and listened to the wildlife outside of the little tent he was using as a makeshift office.
“You’ve got someone special now,” Donna, one of the volunteers, noted as she slipped into the tent. She’d been with him in Haiti before. She was a good worker—didn’t complain very much and wasn’t afraid to put in long hours.
His cheeks heated a little. “Maybe.” Then he grinned. “Yeah, yeah, I do.”
“Good for you!” She laughed and came to sit by him. “So how’d you meet?”
“I’ve just opened myself up to a long game of twenty questions, haven’t I?”
“Hey, I have to live through somebody, don’t I?”
“What happened to… uh…?” He couldn’t remember the guy’s name, but he was pretty sure she’d been dating the last time he’d seen her.
“Do you mean Kegan?” she asked, one eyebrow going up.
“Yeah, that’s him.”
“I went home to find him in bed with someone else.” She shrugged and forestalled the sympathy he was about to express. “I wasn’t even that upset, so clearly it wasn’t meant to be. He was kind of an ass anyway.”
“If he cheated on you, I’d say he was a total ass.” It was unlikely he’d have to worry about that with Ryan.
“Yeah. Who wants to wait, though? We’re never home.”
“We’re home in between.” Of course, he’d only been back for little more than a week when he’d been off again. And admittedly, most of the time he spent months in place. He’d been a year in Africa one time, digging wells in village after village, helping them with irrigation.
“Yeah, we are. So? Dish!”
“Well, his name is Ryan, and he’s a father. Four girls, in fact.”
“Say what? Four? How old is he? Is he divorced?”
“Nosy parker!”
“Yep. Come on, give it up.”
He laughed, finding he liked talking about Ryan. It made him more real somehow. “He had his girl when he was just a baby himself—like fifteen. The other three are his sister’s kids. The sister and brother-in-law were killed in an accident.”
“Wow. Four kids? Like kid-kids? That’s intense. Do you like them?”
“They’re teenager down through… I think five years old. And yeah, they’re good kids. Even sick they weren’t brats. Which totally proves he’s a great dad.” And he wasn’t biased at all. Well, maybe a little.
“That’s so cool. Is he cute? What does he do for a living?”
“He’s adorable. I don’t have any pictures of him or I’d totally show you.” It was awesome, being able to share like this. He hadn’t realized how much he’d been missing by not having anything from “back home” to talk to the other workers about. “He’s a graphic artist, and he’s really, really good.”
The others drifted in to join them, and soon there were a half dozen of them, talking about their significant others, about their lives back home. It was much later than Alex had intended before they got down to the meeting they’d gathered for to discuss the day’s progress and what was left to do.
Alex didn’t think that was a bad thing at all.
Chapter Fifteen
ALEX HADN’T made the Skype call that night or the next, the work keeping him busy, so Ryan let it go.
He tried to be cool about it, and, he had to admit, it was getting easier as time passed.
They’d had nine days of the weirdest love affair ever, and if that was it, that was okay. The little girls never asked about Alex, and Mel was busy with school, so it was almost like it had been a weird little dream, something totally out of time, except that Alex texted daily.
Ryan sat at the kitchen table, trying to pay bills and figure out how to shove a little more in savings, muttering softly as he crunched numbers.
His tablet started making noise—Skype letting him know there was a call from Alex; would he accept?
He grabbed the tablet and hit the green button. Hopefully it would work.
The icon spun for a moment, and then Alex appeared on his screen. His hair was messy, he had dirt on his face and the shirt he was wearing, and he looked tired. His face
lit up, though. “Ryan! Hey. Hello. Damn, it’s good to see you.”
“Hey there, stranger!” He was tempted to brush his hair down, straighten his shirt.
“Hi.” Alex spent a moment smiling, staring. Then he cleared his throat. “You look amazing. I’m sorry I’ve missed you the last few nights. We found out we’re out of here in a week and a half, so we’re in full-blown working-as-much-as-we-can mode.”
“Is that good?” Alex didn’t sound happy about coming home, but Ryan wasn’t sure.
Alex shrugged. “It’s better than nothing, but they need so much help down here, we were really hoping to get the extra funding. But I have to admit, I’m looking forward to getting home. It’s the first time I have a reason to be happy about a short assignment.”
“I’ll be happy to see you. Honest.”
“Yeah? That’s awesome. It would be awkward otherwise.” Alex chuckled softly. “How are things going there?”
“Same old, same old. Planning for winter boots and jackets and Christmas presents.” It took him a few months to get it all done.
“You’re an early starter! I didn’t know they truly existed.” Alex’s eyes twinkled, even through the screen. “My aunt excepted—she does her holiday shopping during the week after Christmas while everything is on sale.”
“Yes, well, if you have little ones you can’t do that.” There were a ton of variables, and… why were they talking about Christmas? Alex didn’t care what the girls got for the holidays. Hell, it probably was awful of Ryan to be talking about it while there were so many people needing. “So, have you been getting enough rest?”
“Probably not, but I figure I can catch up when I get home, right?” There was a sound, and Alex looked away from the camera, nodded. “Night Donna, night Sam. Yeah, we’ll work on the outhouses for the school tomorrow. Night.” Then Alex turned back to him. “Sorry.”
“No worries. Do you need to go?”
Alex shook his head. “We’ve already had our meeting. The last stragglers are headed off to their tents. I’ll go once I’ve signed off here. It’s not a bad time for you, is it?”
“Nope. I was just doing some paperwork. The little ones are in bed, and Mel’s watching her new obsession on the TV.”
“What does a teenage girl obsess about these days?” Alex asked, shifting, then leaning back some.
“Some gorgeous black-haired guy playing the devil. She’s in lust.” He rolled his eyes. Before this, it had been Loki.
“Is she old enough to be in lust?” Alex asked.
“She’ll be sixteen in three weeks. That makes her older than me or her mom when she was born.”
Alex blinked. “That’s kind of amazing, isn’t it? To think about it that way. She’s been with you for more than half your life and every year, it’s going to be more than half. Has the time gone quickly or slowly?”
“The days have been long, the years have zoomed by.” He remembered his mother telling him “She’ll be in college by the time you’re thirty-three, and you can do whatever you want to then.” Thirty-three had seemed forever away, and now it was so close. Of course, now he had three more to not only get to college but to put through college, and it would be another thirteen years before that magical do-what-you-want-then came about.
“Yeah, I hear you on that. I can’t believe I’m thirty already. It wasn’t that long ago that thirty seemed ancient.”
“I hear that.” Some days thirty was pretty fucking old.
“How’s work going?” Alex asked. “You finding enough time to get everything done and have a little time for yourself too?”
“Everything’s toodling along like always.” What on earth would he do with time?
“Good, good. Did I mention that you’re looking good? A sight for sore eyes, really.”
“Thanks. I try to keep myself… up, I guess?”
Alex laughed softly. “I’m trying to decide what way I should take that. The naughty way would be more fun, of course.”
Ryan chuckled softly. “I mean sit-ups. Hundreds of them.”
“Oh. Ew.” Alex’s nose scrunched up in the most adorable way when he said ew. “That sounds dreadful. On the other hand, you do have wonderful abs. They’re very… uh… inviting.” Alex licked his lips. “If you know what I mean.”
“They’re abtastic.”
That had Alex cackling, the tired lines around his eyes and mouth appearing to ease. “Remind me to check them out carefully when I get back. I need to make sure they’re everything I remember.”
“I can do that.” Ryan was a little eager, even.
This time Alex’s smile was more intimate. “Good. I’m going to hold you to that. Or to them. Or something clever and hot.” The little eye roll Alex gave was adorably dorky. “I’m going to have to brush up on my sexy talk.”
“It’s okay. I’m on your side.”
“Thank God for that. I’ll do better, I swear. You’re inspirational, after all.”
Warmth flooded Ryan’s cheeks, and he hoped no one could see it.
“Talk to me?” Alex asked. “Tell me about your day or something. I’m not ready to hang up yet, but I don’t really think you want to hear about the ins and outs of plumbing in hurricane-ravaged Haiti.”
“I worked. I made hamburgers and fries. The girls are planning their Halloween costumes.”
“Now I’m hungry for hamburgers and fries.” Alex laughed. “Honestly, I’m literally here drooling. I’m going to be back before Halloween. You think I can go trick-or-treating with you and your girls? I haven’t celebrated Halloween in a very long time.”
“I’m sure they won’t mind. They love dressing up and the whole rigmarole. Mel’s trying to convince them to dress as flowers and she’ll be Alice, but it’s not working.”
“Their namesakes? That would be totally adorable! If she manages it, will you be the White Rabbit or the Mad Hatter?”
“I imagine there’s a goofy top hat in the basement. I’ll put a tag on it, and it will work.”
“I bet you look great in it too. If I’m there, can I be the White Rabbit? I have a morning coat somewhere, and I bet I can find a pocket watch at a pawn shop.” Alex stopped suddenly. “If it’s okay if I come along, of course. I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to just invite myself.”
“Of course. We’d love to have you here.”
Alex beamed at him. “Thank you. It’ll be something to look forward to while I’m digging out latrines.”
Oh, ew. “Totally. My girls have to be better than that.”
“A thousand percent! They’re easy to think about too. So are you. I keep thinking about you, imagining I’m cuddling with you at night.”
“Well, my bed is still here.” And it was still sometimes empty.
“I’m glad. I’ve been hoping there will be more sleepovers when I get home.” Alex leaned close to the camera and continued softly, “Where sleeping isn’t all that happens.”
“If we’re lucky, yes.” Ryan swallowed the offer for Alex to just stay. That was too much, too eager.
“I’ll keep my fingers crossed, then, that we get lucky.” Alex’s snort of laughter turned into a yawn.
“You need to sleep, honey. You’re tired.”
“I’m sorry, but you’re right. I am. And it’s an early start tomorrow. They all are. I’m not sure how often I’m going to be able to Skype over the next week. We’re really pushing to get three months’ worth of work done before we head home.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Alex. You worry about you.”
“You too, babe. Say hi to everyone for me, and I’ll see you soon. I’ll text as soon as I know any details regarding when and where I’m getting in.”
“Will do. Take care of yourself.”
“I will.” Alex put his fingers to his lips and blew Ryan a kiss, then disappeared. Skype informed Ryan the call had dropped.
He sighed, staring at himself in the glass of the tablet before putting it aside. He had bills to pay.
A
touch on his shoulder surprised him. Mel stood there. “Wanna come watch Face Off with me, Daddy?”
“I do. I most definitely do, thank you.”
She put her hand in his, and once they were sitting in the living room in front of the TV, she curled up against him. In so many ways she was growing up, and at the same time she was still his little girl.
He needed to remember that he was doing something important too.
“Everything okay, Daddy?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I think it is.”
“Okay.”
Yeah. It was.
Chapter Sixteen
ALEX SHOT Ryan a quick text as the plane landed to let him know he was safely home. He’d sent the details to Ryan before they’d left, and he didn’t want Ryan to worry. He had been considering asking if he could come over, but he wasn’t sure if that was too pushy or not. Besides, he stank. He hadn’t had a shower since he’d left, and his clothes were not exactly clean. He was not going to show up on Ryan’s doorstep reeking and dirty.
At least it had been a private flight, so he didn’t have to offend anyone but the other workers—who were all in the same boat as him.
He grabbed his backpack and hauled ass off the plane.
To his utter shock, there was a family waiting with a banner that said Welcome Home, Alex! The hearts and glitter were… amazing.
His heart began to thump, this warm feeling growing inside him. He waved and trotted over to them, feeling like a million bucks.
“Hey, guys.”
“Hey, stranger.” Ryan winked at him, looking so amazing, so great.
“Hey. I’d hug you, but my clothes could probably get up and walk on their own.” He couldn’t stop smiling.
“Well, I don’t know what to tell you about that, but I can tell you we have a washer and dryer at the house.”
“If I can borrow some sweats after a shower, I’d love that.” It was so much nicer to be headed toward a home with people he cared for, full and happy, instead of to Aunt Ada’s house. Not that he didn’t love her or anything, but they weren’t that close, and she was still visiting friends out of town.